Louisiana and Texas Border Waters
Which Texas and Louisiana licenses work on Toledo Bend, Caddo Lake, the Sabine River, Sabine Lake and Sabine Pass, and the special limits LDWF prints for those waters.
For weighing a catchPiscifun Lip gripper with digital scale27% OFFSale $39.99 Photo of Caddo Lake: William L. Farr, CC BY-SA 4.0
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How the Louisiana and Texas reciprocal license works
Louisiana and Texas residents who hold resident licenses from their resident state or who are exempted from holding resident licenses in their state may fish the border waters between Texas and Louisiana without additional licenses.
Web page: border waters exclude the Gulf of America. LA residents 65+ may fish Texas public waters with valid LA resident licenses; Texas residents 65+ likewise in Louisiana.
From the 2026 Louisiana Recreational Fishing Regulations (LDWF pamphlet, updated September 21, 2026); read October 28, 2026.
Louisiana and Texas border waters named by LDWF
- Caddo Lakeborder water
- Toledo Bend Reservoirborder water
- Sabine Riverborder water
- Sabine Lakeborder water
- Sabine Passborder water
Pamphlet exceptions on the border waters
| Water | Species | Rule as printed |
|---|---|---|
| Caddo Lake | Black bass | 14-18" protected SL for Largemouth Bass; no length restriction for Spotted Bass; 8 daily; no more than four Largemouth Bass over 18" total length |
| Toledo Bend Reservoir and the Sabine River above Toledo Bend | Black bass | 14" MLL for Largemouth Bass; no MLL for Spotted Bass; 8 daily in combination or aggregate |
| Sabine River from Toledo Bend dam to I-10 | Black bass | 12" MLL for Largemouth Bass; no MLL for Spotted Bass; 8 daily in combination or aggregate |
| Sabine River south of I-10 (Louisiana waters only) | Black bass | Statewide regulations apply; 10 daily |
| Caddo Lake, Poverty Point, and Sabine River | Crappie | None; 25 daily; 50 fish possession limit |
| Toledo Bend Reservoir | Crappie | None; 25 daily; 100 fish possession limit |
| Caddo Lake, Sabine River and Toledo Bend Reservoir | White bass | None; 25 daily |
| Caddo Lake, Sabine River and Toledo Bend Reservoir | Yellow bass | None; No limit |
| Caddo Lake, Sabine River and Toledo Bend Reservoir | Blue and channel catfish | Blue & Channel Catfish: None; 50 daily in the aggregate; no more than five over 30" total length |
| Caddo Lake, Sabine River and Toledo Bend Reservoir | Flathead catfish | Flathead Catfish: 18" MLL; 10 daily |
| Black Lake, Clear Lake and Prairie Lake (Natchitoches Parish), Caddo Lake (Caddo Parish), Chicot Lake (Evangeline Parish), D'Arbonne Lake (Union Parish), Lake St. Joseph (Tensas Parish), and Lake Bruin, including the portion known as Brushy Lake (Tensas Parish) | Trotlines and yo-yos: Except for an object used strictly in the construction of a pier, boathouse, seawall, or dock, no object which is driven into the lake bottom, a stump, tree, or the shoreline shall be used to anchor a yo-yo or trigger | |
| Caddo Lake and Lake Claiborne | No gill nets or trammel nets. | |
| Toledo Bend Reservoir | No gill nets, trammel nets, flag webbing or fish seines. No hoop nets from March 1 to May 15 (only in that portion of the reservoir from a point north of Logansport where the lake enters Texas and south to a point on the lake where the Texa |
Rules as printed in the 2026 Louisiana Recreational Fishing Regulations (LDWF pamphlet, updated September 21, 2026), pages 18 to 21 (pamphlet PDF); second read on the LDWF freshwater page October 28, 2026.
Record fish caught on the line
LOWA accepts Toledo Bend and other border-water fish for the Louisiana list only when landed and weighed on the Louisiana side. Toledo Bend appears 3 times among the LOWA rank-one entries.
- Toledo Bend Reservoirlake page
- Caddo Lakelake page
Lakes and marsh pictured for Louisiana and Texas Border Waters
Photo: Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Chrismiceli, Public domain
Photo: Timothy Holdiness, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: michael_miceli, CC BY-SA 2.0
Fishing the Texas line, asked and answered
Can a Texas resident fish Toledo Bend with a Texas license?
Yes; Louisiana and Texas residents holding their own state’s resident license, or exempt from one, may fish the border waters without another license.
Which waters count as border waters?
Caddo Lake, Toledo Bend Reservoir, Sabine River, Sabine Lake and Sabine Pass.
Does the Gulf count as a border water?
No; the LDWF web page says the border waters exclude the Gulf of America.
Do nonresidents of both states get the privilege?
No; it is only for residents of Louisiana and Texas.
Whose limits apply on Toledo Bend?
The angler follows the rules LDWF prints for the water; the pamphlet lists Toledo Bend’s special limits in its exceptions.
Can Louisiana seniors fish Texas water?
Louisiana residents 65 and older may fish Texas public waters with valid Louisiana resident licenses, and Texas seniors likewise in Louisiana.
Where is a Toledo Bend record weighed?
On the Louisiana side, for the fish to count on the LOWA list.
Is Caddo Lake included?
Yes, Caddo Lake is one of the five border waters LDWF names.
Louisiana rule pages beyond the border waters
- Louisiana Saltwater Fishing Rulesinshore, reef fish, pelagics and sharks
- Louisiana Water-Body Fishing Exceptionslakes and basins with their own limits
- Louisiana licenses and regulationsfees, exemptions and the freshwater table